Transcription
All right. So, I got another good one here by Dr. Orion Taban and it's titled Why the World is Falling Apart: Turning Down the Genie. And yeah, I really enjoy his work. He's pretty on the money with his insights. So, let's uh jump into this.
I'm Dr. Orion Taban and this is Psych Hacks, Better Living Through Psychology. And the topic of today's short talk is why the world is falling apart. Many people today think we're approaching the end times. They look out through their smartphones, shake their heads, and think, "Oh, man. How did this happen? Things are looking dire, dude." Yeah. Uh, a lot of people, they believe that we're approaching the end times again. I've I've been hearing this my entire life. Ever since I think the last memory or the earliest memory I have of this I think is in 1995 or six. I grew up in the Bible belt in West Texas. So in junior high in high school uh well in junior high I remember going to this church that had a play that acted out the book of Revelation. And then when I was a teenager, I think I was 15, it was in 2000, I went to a haunted house. I didn't even know it was a Christian haunted house. me. My friend invited me and ended up being this Christian on house where they they had these different scenes, these dramatic scenes. One was a a bunch of teenagers that had crashed a car cuz they were drunk. And so they were they were lying around all over the car and spilled out of it all with fake blood everywhere. And then there was a scene where there was kids at a party hitting bongs and I think one ODed or something. And then uh and then the the very last scene is this guy with a bunch of blood on him as Jesus on the cross. And then what and then after that you go into this room where these people are sitting at these tables. They pull you aside and they convert you. And that was also the era of the Kirk Cameron Left Behind movies. Those were super super big back then. And everyone was just on edge because of those. they they really just tapped into something. Uh but yeah, this this whole idea about about things coming to an end. It's nothing new. It's been circulating and percolating for decades. But what is different now is of course the technology. It's smartphones and crypto and all these different technologies that really it it gives that that particular narrative more fuel. So, so these particular individuals, they feel more certain in in what what we're seeing as proof of of that the book of Revelation is finally unfolding. And whether whether you believe that or not, what is true is that life has certainly gotten a lot harder in very specific ways. And technology, while it has made a lot of tasks easier for us, it's it's actually made life extremely difficult, a lot harder. And uh yeah, let's let's see what he has to say about that.
>> No one values hard work anymore. Relationships are disposable short-term commodities and everywhere there's this narcissistic entitlement that seems to want everything and to want everything now. What's the world coming to? It's a common lament. Personally, I don't think that we're nearing some kind of extinction event. However, things are absolutely going to change and they're going to change very rapidly. This will be labeled a crisis. But the shadow of every crisis is an opportunity. Those in society who can adapt will thrive. Those who cannot will fall by the wayside. And this is nothing new. It's actually how things have always ever been. It's only in the particulars that we see any novelty. In any case, I'm going to explain to you why the world looks the way that it does using a very simple metaphor. Here it goes. Imagine that one day you find a magic lamp. You give it a little rub and poof, out pops a genie. The genie says to you, "Master, thank you so much for freeing me. As a reward, I am willing to grant you three wishes. No creepy catches, no strings attached. Just tell me your heart's desire and quickest thought, it's yours. So far so good. Now, when presented with this miraculous, amazing once-ina-lifetime opportunity, are you going to respond, "Genie, I really appreciate the offer. However, I'm just not interested."
>> No, no one's going to do that. Thanks, but no thanks. You see, I just don't think it's good and right to receive something I strongly desire so quickly, so cheaply, and so easily. I believe in the value of earning the things I want in life. I think it's also more virtuous to sacrifice, often through great effort, and over many, many years, to achieve my goals. And ultimately, I'm more concerned about cultivating virtue than satisfying my desires. Besides, I'm afraid that getting what I want will be empty and meaningless unless it is bought with my blood, sweat, and tears. Honestly, if I don't do things the hard way, overcoming obstacle after obstacle, I find no fulfillment or satisfaction in the outcome. So unfortunately, I must consider your offer to be a well-meaning trap, which will only cause me to expect that all my desires should be realized in like fashion without effort or sacrifice. I must earn my happiness, so I will respectfully decline. Like, is that is that how you're going to answer the genie?
>> Said nobody ever. I seriously doubt it. If you're like the vast majority of people, the only compunction you're going to feel will be over which of your numerous desires you'll choose to satisfy first. Yeah. You're not going to be thinking about cultivating virtue and and earning anything. You're going to be thinking, "Wow, I have 20 like 20 desires. What three shall I pick?" Duh.
>> You will not pass up the genie's offer. You will use all three of your wishes and consider yourself extraordinarily lucky. Very likely, you will even try to use some of your wishes to get even more wishes so that you will never not be able to realize your desires as you see fit. No, I I I watched Aladdin, Disney's Aladdin. I keep thinking of Robin Williams's uh Blue Genie character. That's against the rules. You can't do that. It's a It's a loophole that doesn't work.
>> Unless you would turn down the genie. Do not pretend to a virtue that you do not possess. And this in a nutshell is why the world looks the way it does. No one turns down the genie. Except instead of magic lamps, we have very advanced technologies. Advanced technologies that are also accelerating at a remarkable rate. And the ultimate end of nearly all of these technologies is to fulfill our needs and desires more cheaply, more safely, more easily, and more quickly than has ever been possible in the course of human history. Our technologies have reached the point where they are functionally indistinguishable from magic. And no one no one is going to turn down the opportunity to possess that power.
>> Heck no. They they are indistingu indistinguishable from magic. That is pretty spot-on. Um yeah, I mean everything is everything is a commodity now. Jobs, relationships, attention, even people. Everything is is optimized for for speed and convenience. And I believe yeah that's that's rewired how people relate to not only one another but but effort and patience and sacrifice because no one no one wants to if given the opportunity they don't want to wait or or work or suffer for something better. They want to hand it them on hand it to them on a silver platter. And this allows that to happen in a lot of ways. This is like magic. I can I can get on Uber Eats and pick whatever food I want and have it delivered to my house in in 40 minutes to an hour. I can even pay extra for priority. So I So it's it's hotter when it gets here. And then there are dating apps where you can you're just scrolling through people like their products. Hm. What what do I what looks good? What do I like? And of course over the years dating has of course that's a whole other topic on on how dating apps have changed and how that is that particular part of technology has destroyed relationships. Um I I agree with him that we're not facing an extinction level event. I don't think it'll get that dire but things are going to change. Absolutely. uh especially the the systems that that we all depend on and also feel trapped by. So the the financial system, the political systems and institutional structures that people assume are permanent that actually aren't. So people are these institutions are losing trust dramatically and which is a good thing. I like every crisis before it, of course, there will be opportunities after the collapse and amidst the collapse and things usually have to break down completely and collapse before they can before things can get better, before things can take their place, be replaced by something hopefully better. And the fear is is that they're going to be replaced because of course there are agendas where they want to replace them with things that are even worse than the systems that we have now. And yeah, that that's a it's a valid fear to have. But yeah, let's let's get back into it.
>> G's are magic lamps. They satisfy needs and fulfill desires more cheaply, more easily, more safely, and more quickly than anyone could possibly have dreamed even a century ago. However, in the midst of this unprecedented opportunity, there are many who still believe for some reason that it's reasonable to expect that other people are going to turn down the genie and perpetually resist this effortless gratification. And that's just not going to happen. While turning down things you don't want isn't hard, turning down things you do is something that human beings just weren't created to do. What the present day has taught us and continues to teach us is that virtue only really grows out of necessity. And much of what has been necessary in the past, patience to overcome hardship, tolerance to promote social harmony, faith that we will taste milk and honey in the next life has been a necessity reframed as virtue, which is actually an excellent psychological adaptation. However, do we really need to have faith that we will receive milk and honey in the afterlife when milk and honey are so cheaply abundant now? Do we really need to practice tolerance when we can just not deal with the people we dislike or disagree with? Do we really need to exercise patience when there's an app for that? There's an old Zen parable about two masters, one of whom spends his life learning to walk on water. When decades later, he finally demonstrates this amazing skill to the other. The second master seems unimpressed. What good is that? He responds. You know, the ferry only costs a nickel. If I want to get across the river, I take the boat. Did you really devote your life to solving a problem for which we already have such an agreeable solution? And that's the flip side of virtue and self-denial today. It off
>> Yeah. Yeah. That's that's the thing with virtue. It doesn't it doesn't just grow because people suddenly become disciplined or disciplined or noble. That's just not going to happen. And yeah, virtue it it grows because life demands it at certain points. And same with patience, it's it's it's required. Same with tolerance. These are things that are like like with tolerance, it's it's something that's needed for for survival. um faith. It's it's how people it's how they cope with uncertainty and hardship. And I think that when technology removes the need for those traits, then they they disappear practically. And I think expecting people to voluntarily maintain discipline in that kind of a system, a system that rewards indulgence and rewards constant in in constant instant gratification, a workaround for those things, then it's it's unrealistic. Most people will take the path of least resistance, the easier path, because we're human. That's human nature. That is human nature. It is often seems foolishly unnecessary in light of our available solutions. Now, some might argue that there is no sense of fulfillment in an accomplishment that was not secured through effort and sacrifice. And I would agree.
>> I would agree too. However, we need to remember that only a minority of people are going to choose the hard way when easier paths are available. Taking the hard way requires, among other things, a good deal of selfefficacy, the belief that one can achieve one's goals without the genie's help. It also requires skills and competences and virtues that are expensive and uncertain in their acquisition. And since they are expensive and uncertain, they will only be pursued by those who either A already possess the resources to support themselves through this process or b have no other choice. That is, mark my words, the cultivation to virtue moving forward will increasingly be a badge either of privilege or necessity. the folks in the middle will take the easy path. And since there will always be more people in the middle than at the extremes, this is why things seem to be falling apart. All this is to say that it's easy to look at today's world and point a finger. However, unless you are prepared to turn down the genie, you're actually part of the problem you complain about. Those who exhort a return to traditional values and common sense may preach to their respective choirs, but they largely fail to grasp the deep instinctual human tendencies that have brought us to this point. We are illquipped to meddle with magic and the genie won't be going back in the bottle.
>> Yeah. So, he's he's 100% right. I agree with him. Um, and yeah, adaptation is is key here. And it's it's going to be a rough path from here on out. And I think that if you resist the changes that are coming, the financial, the social, the technological, if you don't adapt, then you you won't make it. And adaptability, it's it's a sign of intelligence, being able to adapt rather quickly. And of course, this isn't anything new. Humans Humanity has always sorted sorted this has been sorted this way. It's it's never it's never been about fairness. It's been about who can adjust when environments shift and change. And yeah, I get that our era has its own nuances. Sure. Yeah, it does. But the through line hasn't changed. And like you said, the middle takes the easy path and the few adapt or are forced to essentially. So, and complaining about the genie doesn't matter. It complaining about the genie doesn't matter if you keep rubbing the lamp. And the question it it isn't whether things are changing. The question is whether you're you're willing and able to change with them. And I'm not saying to conform or comply. I'm saying that you need to find ways to to survive. And and we do we do live under a lot of oppressive systems and there are ways around those. And hopefully whenever they a lot of these come crashing down then there there there's going to be a lot of innovative individuals that can that can pivot into I I'm hoping for more freedom when when things go down versus less. I think we all are. And we're just we're in a limbo phase that's very uncertain and there there's chatter all over that's online everywhere. I think a lot of people they think that there's some type of grand conspiracy because all the YouTubers are talking about all these negative things all at once. And to an extent maybe I don't know but that's what everyone wants to hear. We we as YouTubers, we're creating cont that we're creating the content that people want to listen to and see because it's how we generate our income through through the more people watching. The the more you watch, the more people watch, the more revenue we generate for ourselves so we can continue to live in this this system. And yeah, I think it's lame that human beings have to have to work to live and pay into this just to just to live on this planet. It sucks. It is what it is. But yes, I I really enjoyed what he had to say about that. I think it's pretty accurate. So, just yeah, let me let me know what your thoughts are. Uh yeah, the world's pretty crazy right now. There's a lot of uncertainty going on. And it's super cold. I hope everyone's doing all right. It's very cold here. Uh it was so cold yesterday that my car battery would not start my car. So, I had to bring it inside overnight so that it would work. And I'm going to do that now. I'm going to go grab my battery, take it out of my car cuz it's going to get really late. And then I'm going to put it in tomorrow because I have family court tomorrow. And that's a very, very important day. And I can't miss that. And so, thoughts and prayers for that. Whether you're religious or not, you know, what whatever you want to do, good good thoughts, good prayers, whatever. I'll I'll take it all. But I appreciate you guys. And uh yeah, I'll see you on the next one. Peace.